Tossing game apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

This invention is for a tossing game and especially for a lightweight, compact and portable tossing game apparatus and method which can be played at the beach or on a water surface or in someone&#39;s yard.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a tossing game and especially to a lightweight compact and portable tossing game apparatus and method which can be played at the beach or on a water surface or in someone's yard.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is almost universal enjoyment by participants of tossing type games which involve throwing objects toward a target. These games test a person's depth perception, strength and muscle coordination and are a source of entertainment. There are a wide variety of such games that provide the basic enjoyment for individuals in their leisure times. The classic tossing game is horseshoes where a horseshoe is thrown from behind a line towards a stake placed in the ground and scored according to where the horseshoe lands. These might include games which take aim at targets positioned for scoring a participant's throws. It become desirable to have a tossing type game which is both light in weight and portable and collapses into a small carrying container or even in or on one's clothing.

Toss type games can be seen in the prior art, such as in the Wehr U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,480 for a toss game apparatus which has a toss game with a target having a special frame with a top panel mounted thereon. In the Kanda U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,669, a court game apparatus and method of use has a target ball and a plurality of server balls. The Rogers U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,369 is for a resilient toss game target having a planar surface having multiple cup shaped concave receptacles each having resilient dome shaped protrusions therearound. The Taylor et al. U.S. Pat. No. D548,286 is a design for a projectile tossing game.

Other U.S. patents for tossing games may be seen in the James, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,957 for a tossing game in which the target may be tube shaped. The Soto U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,344 is for a tossing game using tossing dice, while the Brown U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0079645 is for a portable bag toss game apparatus for one or more players. The Gutke U.S. Pat. No. Des. 249,078 is for the design of a game target.

The present invention is for a tossing game which is compact and portable with targets that can be disassembled and carried in a backpack or the like and taken with a person to the beach or used in a person's yard. It can be stored in a small backpack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is for a tossing game apparatus which has a plurality of game targets, each target having a plurality of elongated floatable sections, each section having a predetermined shape and being removably attached to at least two other sections to form an enclosed target area. Each target has a different size indicative of different scores and each target being adapted to be laid out in a predetermined pattern. The game includes a plurality of groups of compact hand tossable projectiles, each group of projectiles being of a different color from the color of the projectiles of every other group for distinguishing one group's tossed projectiles from the other groups. A tossing foul line is marked off a predetermined distance from laid out targets. The tossing game has a plurality of floatable targets each formed from a plurality of removably attached sections for quick setup and disassemble. A plurality of floatable target sections may each have an opening in each end thereof while a plurality of other target floatable target sections may have an insert portion on each end portion thereof for attaching into another target's section opening. Each tossed projectile may be a buoyant member of a generally toroidal or any other shape as desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification and illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tossing game being played by a player in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of a set of target assembly sections in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of an assembled target assembled from the target sections of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a floating tossing projectile having a toroidal shape in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a tossing game being played by a player on water in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a process for playing a game in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

The present invention is for a tossing game and especially to a lightweight, portable tossing game apparatus and method which can be played at the beach or on a water surface or in someone's yard.

Referring to the drawings FIGS. 1 through 6 and especially to FIG. 1, a tossing game is illustrated being played by an individual 10 on a beach 11. The player 10 is tossing a projectile 12, such as a bean bag, at a series of targets 13, 14, and 15, shown as squares confining different interior open areas, but can be of any shape desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The player 10 is standing behind a foul line 16. The foul line may be drawn in the sand or earth or may a piece of any material. The targets 13, 14 and 15 may be of any shape. The illustrated square targets are of different sizes. The sides of the small target may be, for instance, 18 inches in length with the next larger targets sides being of 24 inches on each side and the third target having a length of 30 inches. The different size targets are used to indicate different scores that the projectile 12 lands in. The targets may also be triangular or circular or any shape desired and may be made of any material desired such as plastic sections which can be disassembled for storage and transportation and reassembled as desired. The projectile 12 can also be of any shape as desired but the game may include a floatable projectile when the game is played on a water surface. A plurality of projectiles 12 of different colors or in groups of different colors are used to distinguish between player projectiles after the player has tossed a projectile.

As seen in FIG. 2, the legs or sections of a disassembled target is shown. Two of the legs 17 can be seen having openings in each end while two of the legs 20 can be seen having wedging or insert end portions 21 on each end thereof, each shaped to be press fitted into an end opening or hole 18 in the end of a leg 17. This allows the legs or target sections 17 and 20 to be assembled as shown in FIG. 3. The legs 17 and 20 are preferred to be hollow with sealed end portions to make them lightweight and buoyant. They may also be made of a floatation material such as foamed polymer, such as polystyrene, as desired. The insert portions 21 can also be threaded if desired for a threaded connection with openings 18 that are also threaded if desired.

FIG. 3 shows a typical target 13 having two legs 17 having two legs 20 attached thereto to make the assembled target 13. The inserts 21 can be seen protruding through the openings 18 in the legs 17. In operation three different sized targets are assembled for playing the game and disassembled for storage and transporting. When the targets are disassembled, the entire game can be transported in a small backpack or container.

Normally the game will come with six projectiles 12 of two different colors, three targets 13, 14 and 15 of varying sizes, along with a carrying case and an instruction sheet. The targets are placed in a straight or parallel line and at a distance from the foul line depending on the age of the players. Several foul lines can be drawn for different age players. Points are scored only if the projectile stays within a target area inside the target's legs with each size target having a different number of points. After each player has had his turn, the scores are tallied and the highest score being for the projectile that lands on the smallest target.

FIG. 4 illustrates another projectile 33 for use with the present tossing game which projectile may be buoyant so that it will float in the water 26 of FIG. 5 when tossed but which may also be used on a hard surface. It may also be inflatable or may be made of a buoyant foamed polymer as desired. It should be clear however that the projectile can be of any type desired, such as for instance a Nerf ball or the like, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in which a set of targets 23, 24 and 25 are each buoyant and are floated on water 26, such as in a swimming pool 27. This embodiment may have a foul line 28 on the side of the pool 27 or the foul line may use the side of the pool 30 as the foul line. The targets 23, 24, and 25 are floating targets as previously described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3. A person 10 is illustrated tossing a projectile at the targets.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of the process of the present tossing game. To play the game requires the selection (40) of a target kit having sets of target sections of different sizes. The selected target sections are assembled (41) into targets such as shown in FIG. 3. The assembled targets are then displayed (42) as shown in FIG. 1 or 5. A foul line is then marked off (43) in a predetermined position which may be by drawing a line in the sand or positioning a physical object such as laying down a strip of material in a line. Each player is assigned (44) one or more colored projectiles with each player having different colored projectiles from each other player so as to identify a player's projectile relative to the targets. Each player then takes turns tossing (45) a projectile at the displayed targets. After the players have completed their turn or turns, the scores are tallied (46) depending on the players projectiles landing in which targets. Generally landing on the smallest target will have the largest assigned score while landing on the largest target will have the lowest score. Missing all targets will have either no score or a relative lower score depending on the proximity to one of the targets.

It should be clear at this time that a method and apparatus for a compact toss game which can be easily stored and transported for ready setup has been provided. However the present invention is not to be considered limited to the forms shown which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 

1. A tossing game apparatus comprising: a plurality of game targets, each target having a plurality of elongated hollow floatable sections, each elongated hollow floatable section being sealed at each end to form a sealed hollow chamber and each section having a generally cylindrical predetermined shape having a fastener portion on each end thereof and being removably attached to at least two other sections to form an enclosed target area, each said target being of a different size indicative of a different score and each target being adapted to be laid out in a predetermined pattern; and a plurality of groups of compact hand tossable projectiles, each group of projectiles being of a different color from the color of the projectiles of every other group for distinguishing one group's tossable projectiles from the other groups and each projectile in each said group of projectiles being buoyant and having a generally toroidal shape with an inflatable surround portion; whereby a tossing game apparatus has a plurality of game targets each formed from a plurality of elongated hollow floatable sections for quick setup and disassembly.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The tossing game apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which a plurality of said target hollow floatable sections each has an opening in each end thereof and a plurality of said target floatable sections each has an insert on each end portion thereof for attaching into another target section opening.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The tossing game apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which each said target is generally square formed with the removably attached elongated hollow floating sections.
 6. (canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. A method of playing a tossing game comprising the steps of: selecting a tossing game apparatus having a plurality of sets of game target elongated hollow floatable sections, each elongated hollow floatable section being sealed at each end to form a sealed hollow chamber, each section in each set having a generally cylindrical shape having a fastener portion on each end thereof and being removably attachable to at least two other sections for forming a plurality of game targets of different sizes, each game target defining an enclosed open area, and said tossing game having a plurality of groups of compact hand tossable projectiles, each group of projectiles being of a different color from the color of the projectiles of every other group for distinguishing one group's tossable projectiles from the other groups and each projectile in each said group of projectiles being buoyant and having a generally toroidal shape with an inflatable surround portion; assembling each set of game target elongated hollow floatable sections into a game target with an enclosed open area; laying out said assembled game targets in a spaced relationship to each other; marking a tossing foul line a predetermined distance from said laid out targets; assigning each player a colored projectile; allowing each player a turn tossing a projectile towards said plurality of laid out game targets from behind the foul line; and scoring each player relative to the landing of their tossable projectile in one of said plurality of laid out game targets.
 10. (canceled)
 11. (canceled)
 12. (canceled) 